15 May The Beauty in Our Scars

Recently I wrote about how my nine year old daughter banged her forehead into the corner of a kitchen cabinet and had to get stitches. A few days before her stitches were to come out, I mentioned that after the injury was fully healed, we could get a special cream or oil to rub over her healed wound to reduce the scarring.

She looked at me like I was crazy. “Why would I want to do that?!” I said, “Well, um, just to reduce the scarring if you wanted to. You know, like (our neighbor) had a big scar and he rubbed a special cream on and it almost completely disappeared.” She looked aside thoughtfully. “No,” she said, “I don’t want to do that. I want to remember.”

I had to sit with this for a moment. Her words struck me deep. “I want to remember,” she said. What did she, when she ran her finger over that scar on her forehead, want to remember? Certainly not the pain or trauma of the accident. She wanted to remember what she endured. What she suffered and survived. And how she grew just a little bit braver and stronger in her heart that day from what she walked through.

How might this visible symbol serve her in years to come? We have both yet to see, but I can imagine that if and when she faces another difficult or scary situation, the memory of her choosing to be brave in that moment will encourage her in whatever she will face then.

Lions, Bears, and Crosses

When the young shepherd named David faced a giant named Goliath, he did so in the courage and conviction that God was with him and would deliver him. This was courage and conviction that had not just “happened to him,” but had been forged into his being as he fought a lion and a bear who tried to kill his sheep. He knew in those moments that God was the one empowering him and giving him courage. As he faced Goliath, I wonder if he ran his fingers over any scars when he said these words, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

Our scars remind us of the frailty of our humanity. There are none of us who can walk through this world untouched by physical and emotional pain. But our scars are also reminders of God’s faithfulness. We have been “struck down but not destroyed.” We have endured. We may be scarred, but we are still standing, by the grace of God.

I have always found it fascinating that the resurrected Christ still carried his scars. I can imagine a disciple asking, “Jesus, why would you not want to get rid of those? Don’t they remind you of the pain you felt when you died?” But for those who doubted, like Thomas, those scars were the avenues to restoring faith: “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus isn’t looking for followers with perfect lives and flawless track records. That isn’t possible. He’s looking for those who are willing to follow him even in the hard times. He doesn’t ask us to cover up our wounds but to come to him for healing. He isn’t embarrassed by our scars but invites us to tell others the story of redemption behind them.

Now is a time when our hearts may be particularly hungry to hear stories of God’s faithfulness. Though it’s true that some wounds may not be fully healed until glory, our scars can be beautiful reminders that wounds don’t have to stay open – God can heal them. What scars are visible in your life? Are there some that you have worked hard to hide? As you look back over your journey, are you able to run your own fingers lovingly over the memories of suffering turned to peace, pain turned to wholeness, and darkness turned to light? Are there others whose wounds are still open who need to hear your story of healing?